The two tracks at the end of the podcast, by the amazing Alice Clark,are Don't You Care & Never Did I Stop Loving You.
Thought I'd give you a taste of what I've been listening to instead of my talking. Maybe the mashup will infuse your mind the way it has mine. Some Last Poets, Gil Scott-Heron, Quincy Jones, Marvin Gaye, Donny Hathaway and many rebellious words.
While the music was playing, and my mind was smiling, I just turned up record. Did it work for you?
I haven't really done a music podcast in a while, and this is kind of a hybrid. A couple of weeks ago I'd heard a rumour that Gil-Scott Heron had passed, which I later found not to be true. The thought did cause me to re-listen to much of his work, and since he is generally unknown to many people of my generation and younger, I thought it would be a good time to share. Pieces of a Man was the title of one of his most popular albums, and co-opting it for a piecemeal appoach to his early career, seemed appropriate for this post.
Unlike most podcasts I do, I certainly cannot claim that this is Creative Commons, however I hope it is educational to many of you and enjoyable as well.
I love soul music of the 1970s. Sure, some of it crosses into funk and R&B, but there's a reason that soul stands apart. Soul helps to define a time and a place, and I hope some of these tracks can do that for you.
Needless to say, the Soul Sounds of the 70s podcasts are NOT Creative Commons like the rest of the lovehatethings podcasts, but I'm grateful for every day I'm allowed to share this music with you.
via youtube.com
I know that when some of you see the word Otis, you think about elevators. I also know that many people think of Otis Redding with a certain reverence without knowing why. Some artists we accept by default through knowledge passed down as though canon of popular music is a sacred, unchanging brick wall.
The song "Try a Little Tenderness" is "a love song written by "Irving King" (James Campbell and Reginald Connelly) and Harry M. Woods, and recorded initially on December 8, 1932 by the Ray Noble Orchestra (with vocals by Val Rosing) followed by both Ruth Etting and Bing Crosby in 1933. Subsequent recordings and performances were done by such recording artists as Little Miss Cornshucks (1951), Jimmy Durante, Frank Sinatra, Rod Stewart, Frankie Laine, Percy Sledge, Earl Grant, Al Jarreau, Nina Simone, Etta James, Tina Turner, Three Dog Night and John Miles and Andrew Strong." (wikipedia)
This performance is 42 years old. And though the song isn't that long, Otis Redding shows why he kicks ass and his style and energy are timeless. If the only version you've heard is the bastardized Chris Brown version, do yourself a favor and share the power, energy and soul of a frontman without equal - Otis Redding.